The conceptual hypothesis underpinning our long term research in the Sierra Nevada is that changes in climate, snow regime, and atmospheric composition are driving variability in biogeochemical and trophic dynamics (Fig. 7). With changing rates of atmospheric deposition, nutrient ratios important to the aquatic biota are shifting and changes in ANC may have occurred. The trend of increasing air temperature we have documented affects lake thermal dynamics and the timing of snowmelt. Climate changes are expected to affect the snowpack and increase variability in storminess; both affect inputs of terrestrial organic and inorganic matter.

Continuation of limnological, meteorological, hydrological, chemical, biological and atmospheric deposition measurements is critical to our ability to: 1) compute fluxes of nutrients into and out of our study sites 2) examine relationships among biogeochemistry, trophic conditions and climate and 3) continue analysis of long-term trends in lake biota. Click on the links to learn more about our ongoing research activities: